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Ape-Human DNA Split
M. Boss writes "CNN is running a story about a gene split between humans and the apes. This is the second major DNA article regarding human evolution published in the last month (the first being about the FOXP2 gene, possibly responsible for human speech and comprehension). This second story is about a gene missing in humans that is responsible for production of a sugar acid, and possibly human brain expansion."
You're probably correct that the next step will be trying to activate this gene in apes. It is in our nature to muck with things that we do not understand. Personal responsiblity in science is only relevant where lawsuits are involved. As long as the researcher is not liable for being found guilty of a crime in a court of law, there is no bounds to what may be researched.
This is an ethical issue of biblical proportion. Something inside us says that this is wrong, but the same is true of cannibalism. Cannibalism is the norm for adolescent wolf spiders, so why is it that we as human beings find it so distasteful? Same-species protein is wrong simply because it comes from the same species.
It's an interesting dilemma.
Do we ignore the potential to test our theories on hapless and helpless apes or do we go with our questions unanswered. Between you an' me, I'll guess that the pocket-protector types will figure out a way to test on our ape brethren.
> Cannibalism [...], why is it that we as human beings find it so distasteful? Same-species protein is wrong simply because it comes from the same species.
Incorrect.
Cannibalism is wrong because same-species flesh carries bacteria, viruses, prions, concentrated toxins, and all sorts of nasty stuff that is bad for us.
Many seemingly senseless taboos have a basis in fact.
Why is it we eat lots of herbivores (chickens, pigs, cows, etc), but we don't eat carnivores (dogs, cats, tigers, lions)? Is it because it doesn't seem "right", or because carnivores being higher up the food chain concentrate toxins?
Why don't Jews eat pork? Is it because God said so, or is it because God (and his numerous assistants down here) noticed that before refrigerators you got Trichinosis from eating pork?
Why do many organized religions have taboos against sex outside of marriage? Is it because you will go to hell if you have sex, or perhaps it is because people recognized that lots of promiscuous sex was correlated to diseases?
- For the complete works of Shakespeare: cat